BATON ROUGE — LSU junior outfielder/infielder Ryan Schimpf has signed a contract with the Toronto Blue Jays and will join the club’s Rookie League affiliate in Dunedin, Fla.
Schimpf, a native of Covington, La., was the Blue Jays’ fifth-round selection in last month’s Major League Baseball Draft.
“Ryan Schimpf was one of the hardest workers in our program for the past three years,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri, “and he certainly has earned this opportunity to play pro ball. He is one of the most unselfish, dedicated players I’ve ever coached, and he played a huge role in our national championship season. The Blue Jays just signed a great young man, and we look forward to following his career.”
Schimpf helped lead LSU to the 2009 College World Series title, batting .336 (88-for-262) on the year with 19 doubles, one triple, 22 homers, 73 runs and 70 RBI. He was voted to the CWS All-Tournament team, batting .348 (8-for-23) with two doubles, three homers, eight runs and seven RBI in six games.
In LSU’s 11 NCAA Tournament games, Schimpf hit a sizzling .395 (17-for-43) with six doubles, five homers, 15 runs and 14 RBI.
Schimpf was voted second-team All-Southeastern Conference by the league coaches, and he was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll. He was also selected as the Louisiana Player of the Year by the Louisiana Sportswriters Association.